Still no answers on Mikus Alps

Friday 28 December 2018

Guernsey Police have still not come to a conclusion when it comes to the death of local Latvian man, Mikus Alps.

Nearly a year on from the day his skeletal remains were found in a burnt-out car at Petit Bot, the investigation has not been finished, with little progress being made in recent months thanks to a slow turn around at the UK Home Office. But after some time, a report on how Mr Alps died is now expected in March.

Patrick Rice speaking at a Press Conference following Mr Alps' death. 

Guernsey's Outgoing Head of Law Enforcement Patrick Rice issued a statement just days before his retirement, saying they were still waiting on a report from the Home Office's specialist pathologist. That has been the latest information they have provided since much earlier this year.

"While I had hoped to be in a position to conclude our enquiries before the end of this year, we are reliant on the off-island specialist support we have received and the demands on those experts’ time is understandably extensive," he said.

"Our officers have concluded all lines of enquiry currently open to us, but we must wait for the final forensic report. We will provide more detail once that report has been received. We remain in close contact with Mr Alps' family and our thoughts are with them, particularly at this time of year."

Mr Alps was found in a car on Petit Bot on 8 January 2018, early on in the morning. Because of the level of fire damage to the car, a detailed forensic investigation was needed, but on Wednesday 10 January, it was confirmed there were remains in the vehicle, and then later it was confirmed those belonged to Mikus Alps.

The remains of a shotgun were also found in the car alongside Mr Alps. Additionally, a "sombre and reflective" letter was handed to police, confirmed to have been written by him. 

But the latest information to come to light was that of a man who was involved with Mikus Alps around the time of his death - Neil MacDonald. MacDonald was sent to prison at the end of Summer for being involved in dealing cannabis, and also possession of a number of shotguns, all of which allegedly belonged to Mr Alps. MacDonald's sentencing put new information into the public eye, and raised even more questions about what Mr Alps was doing in the days before he was found. To read more about that, click here.

Mr Alps fought for a pro-Ukrainian movement against Russian supporters. He was said to use a car to take supplies from Guernsey to Ukraine. 

The entire investigation was surrounded with a storm of rumours, particularly centred on Mr Alps involvement with a pro-Ukrainian movement in the Eastern European country. International news outlets reported it was possible he had murdered by Russians, following a quote from a colleague in Ukraine. Other rumours also circulated like wildfire. But Police have maintained that there is no evidence linking his death in Guernsey to his activity in Ukraine.

To try and tackle the rumours, Chief Officer Rice has continued to reiterate what he calls "the facts". He did this once again in his statement on Friday. 

He also confirmed the delays were down to the need for highly specialised experts to examine the remains: "I have previously stated that this was always going to be a lengthy and complex investigation. While not appropriate to go into minute detail, the nature of the remains found in the burnt-out car led us to request support from highly specialised experts to carry out further detailed examinations to try and help determine cause of death.

"There are very few specialists of this nature, which meant we were very much in their hands in terms of timings. However, we considered it essential to wait for these findings to ensure we explored every legitimate line of enquiry."

The Guernsey Police investigation continues, but to read more about what we know about Mikus Alps and the circumstances surrounding his death, click here.